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75-546: The long-lasting effects of the Interregnum were primarily the end of centralization of the imperial monarchy and the fragmentation of power towards the princes and prince-electors. The efforts of the Houses of Welf and Hohenstaufen towards expanding the power of the emperor and ensuring a clear line of succession between family members was difficult in this period, with many elections going from one family to another family in

150-513: A basis for consolidating the ruler's power within the Bohemian kingdom. The agreements weren't as successful as John intended. The aristocracy did not intend to surrender its property and the influence it gained after Wenceslas II died. The growing tensions within the aristocracy and the lack of communication due to John's consistent absence in Bohemia led to a competition between two factions of

225-428: A condition that would persist into the modern period and, termed Kleinstaaterei , present an obstacle to the modern project of national unification . House of Welf The House of Welf (also Guelf or Guelph ) is a European dynasty that has included many German and British monarchs from the 11th to 20th century and Emperor Ivan VI of Russia in the 18th century. The originally Franconian family from

300-406: A declaration at Rhense , declaring that papal interference was no longer necessary if an emperor had sufficient popular support. Because of this, John XXII and his successor Clement VI would look for other imperial candidates to challenge and replace Louis, eventually siding with Charles of Luxembourg, who would shortly thereafter successfully gain the emperorship after Louis' death. The crisis of

375-661: A deliberate effort by the electors to prevent a consolidation of power. Following the death of Frederick II in 1250, two claimants claimed the Emperorship, Frederick II's son Conrad IV and the church backed anti-king William of Holland . By Frederick’s death, Conrad had defeated William and forced his submission. Conrad’s position in Germany was strong when he traveled to Italy to claim the rest of his inheritance from his mighty father. However, Conrad's death in 1254 gave William two years of rule but his death in 1256 gave way to

450-621: A double election in 1257, between Richard of Cornwall and Alfonso X of Castile . Alfonso never set foot in Germany during his lifetime and Richard was crowned in 1257, spending the rest of his reign traveling between England and Germany until his death in 1272. Richard maintained a solid support base in Germany during his reign, keeping the feudal relations of the Hohenstaufens and maintaining some officials of William of Holland. After his death in 1272, there were few obvious candidates to succeed him as multiple dynastic conflicts had splintered

525-515: A highly controversial move as Adolf's claim was never questioned prior to this incident and the group of princes acted without papal approval. The conflict moved onto the battlefield, where Adolf was killed in battle and Albert of Habsburg, Rudolf's son, was elected as King of the Romans in 1298. Albert however turned on the electors later in his reign, trying to consolidate his family's control of both Thuringia and Bohemia, though ultimately failing as he

600-595: A huge ransom in 1193. Henry died at Brunswick in 1195. Henry the Lion's son, Otto of Brunswick, was elected King of the Romans and crowned Holy Roman Emperor Otto IV after years of further conflicts with the Hohenstaufen emperors. He incurred the wrath of Pope Innocent III and was excommunicated in 1215. Otto was forced to abdicate the imperial throne by the Hohenstaufen Frederick II . He

675-672: A letter of his own to other nobility in Europe to gain support by listing the offenses of the church and clergy. The pope was still somewhat relevant for determining legitimacy despite this, as Henry VII over 50 years later traveled to Rome to be crowned King and was publicly noted for having done so. Papal Involvement in elections and legitimacy returns in the 1330s with the dispute between Louis Wittelsbach and Frederick Habsburg, with then pope John XXII having denied Louis' election as legitimate, citing that under canon law, legitimacy required papal confirmation of an election. In response, Louis made

750-654: A noble house in Germany. Henry IX, Duke of Bavaria , from 1120 to 1126, was the first of the three dukes of the Welf dynasty called Henry. His wife Wulfhild was the heiress of the house of Billung , possessing the territory around Lüneburg in Lower Saxony. Their son, Henry the Proud , was the son-in-law and heir of Lothair II, Holy Roman Emperor and became also Duke of Saxony on Lothair's death. Lothair left his territory around Brunswick , inherited from his mother of

825-598: A result of increasing tensions with the townsfolk of Brunswick , the Brunswick Line moved their residence to Wolfenbüttel Castle , thus the name Wolfenbüttel became the unofficial name of this principality. With Ivan VI of Russia the Brunswick line even had a short intermezzo on the Russian imperial throne in 1740. Not until 1754 was the residence moved back to Brunswick, into the new Brunswick Palace . In 1814

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900-765: A role in the Investiture Controversy . Since the Welf dynasty sided with the Pope in this controversy, partisans of the Pope came to be known in Italy as Guelphs ( Guelfi ). The first genealogy of the Welfs is the Genealogia Welforum , composed shortly before 1126. A much more detailed history of the dynasty, the Historia Welforum , was composed around 1170. It is the earliest history of

975-482: A similar level of influence due to a gradual collection of territory, so Henry's son John put Louis of Wittelsbach forward as an imperial candidate. Frederick managed to get the imperial insignia and the archbishop of Cologne, the traditional person in charge of coronations, to crown him before Louis could, but Louis was crowned at Aachen, the traditional political capital of the empire. Thus, neither could definitively claim to be emperor and turned to open warfare to resolve

1050-564: A time when anti-Catholic sentiment ran high in much of Northern Europe and Great Britain. Sophia died shortly before her first cousin once removed, Anne, Queen of Great Britain , the last sovereign of the House of Stuart . Sophia's son George I succeeded Queen Anne and formed a personal union from 1714 between the British crown and the Electorate of Hanover, which lasted until well after

1125-404: Is Queen Frederica's nephew Ernst August , the third and present husband of Princess Caroline of Monaco . In 1129, after Henry the Proud's defeat against Lothair III, Holy Roman Emperor , his sister Sophia was given a seat at Regensburg . From c.  1150 until his death in 1167, Welf VI's son, Welf VII, was associated to his father, but predeceased him. After Welf VI's death, Altdorf

1200-582: Is the loudest. The Lord will be with us. Nothing to fear. Just take good care of my son.") John was succeeded as King of Bohemia by his eldest son, Charles . In Luxembourg , he was succeeded by Wenceslaus , his son by his second wife. The body of John the Blind was moved to Kloster Altmünster ("Old-Minster Abbey") in Luxembourg. When the abbey was destroyed in 1543, the corpse was moved to Kloster Neumünster ("New-Minster Abbey") in Luxembourg. During

1275-596: Is well known for having died while fighting in the Battle of Crécy at age 50, after having been blind for a decade. In his home country of Luxembourg , he is considered a national hero . Comparatively, in the Czech Republic (anciently the Kingdom of Bohemia ), Jan Lucemburský is often recognized for his role as the father of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor , one of the more significant Kings of Bohemia and one of

1350-458: The Battle of Crécy in 1346 John controlled Phillip's advanced guard along with managing the large contingents of Charles II of Alençon and Louis I, Count of Flanders . John was killed at age 50 while fighting against the English during the battle. The medieval chronicler Jean Froissart left the following account of John's last actions: ...for all that he was nigh blind, when he understood

1425-674: The Bishop of Minden and Count of Schaumburg and set up his own army. On 28 May 1388, battle was joined at Winsen an der Aller; it ended in victory for Henry . According to the provisions of the Treaty of Hanover from the year 1373, after the death of Wensceslas, the Principality passed to the House of Welf. In 1389, an inheritance agreement between the Welfs and the Ascanians was concluded,

1500-536: The Brunonids , to his daughter Gertrud. Her husband Henry the Proud became then the favoured candidate in the imperial election against Conrad III of the Hohenstaufen . Henry lost the election, as the other princes feared his power and temperament, and was dispossessed of his duchies by Conrad III. Henry's brother Welf VI (1115–1191), Margrave of Tuscany, later left his Swabian territories around Ravensburg,

1575-541: The Golden Bull of 1356 . This proclamation formalized the positions of the electors and divided them between secular princes and ecclesiastical clergymen. Importantly, the golden bull denied both Austria and Bavaria, important titles of the Habsburgs and Wittelsbachs rivals respectively, from being electors in this new system and granted the secular electorships were given to his allies. Charles can be seen as an end to

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1650-623: The House of Luneburg residing at Celle Castle . In 1635 it was given to George , younger brother of Prince Ernest II of Lüneburg , who chose Hanover as his residence. New territory was added in 1665, and in 1705 the Principality of Luneburg was taken over by the Hanoverians. In 1692 Duke Ernest Augustus from the Calenberg-Hanover Line acquired the right to be a prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire as

1725-643: The Prince-Elector of Brunswick-Lüneburg . Colloquially the Electorate was known as the Electorate of Hanover . In 1814 it was succeeded by the Kingdom of Hanover . Religion-driven politics placed Ernest Augustus's wife Sophia of the Palatinate in the line of succession to the British crown by the Act of Settlement 1701 , written to ensure a Protestant succession to the thrones of Scotland and England at

1800-461: The Rhineland in 1833, offering the remains as a gift. As Frederick William counted John the Blind among his ancestors, he ordered Karl Friedrich Schinkel to construct a funeral chapel. The chapel was built in 1834 and 1835 near Kastel-Staadt on a rock above the town. In 1838, on the anniversary of his death, John the Blind was laid in a black marble sarcophagus in a public ceremony. In 1945,

1875-508: The Thuringian Counts' War , leading to a general state of near-lawlessness in Germany where robber barons acted unopposed by the nominal system of justice . The role of the papacy in the elections and general governance of the empire were also put into question and would steadily diminish until later emperors would ignore Rome entirely in the election process. Germany was fractured into countless minor states fending for themselves,

1950-483: The British throne was inherited by an elder brother's only daughter, Queen Victoria . Her offspring belong to the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha : in 1917 the name was changed to the House of Windsor . The Kingdom of Hanover was lost in 1866 by Ernest Augustus's son George V of Hanover , Austria's ally during the Austro-Prussian War , when it was annexed by Prussia after Austria's defeat and became

2025-535: The Czech nobility. One party, led by Jindřich of Lipá , gained the trust of John. The other party, led by Vilém Zajíc of Valdek (Latin: Wilhelmus Lepus de Waldek ; German: Wilhelm Hase von Waldeck ), convinced the Queen that Lord Lipá intended to overthrow John. Consequently, in 1315, John had Jindřich imprisoned. By 1318, John had reconciled with the nobility and recognised their rights, further establishing dualism of

2100-518: The Czech state. John also decided to improve relations with the Silesian principalities close to Bohemia and Moravia in economic and political standings. The international spectrum was further broadened for John when his father named him Imperial Vicar , his deputy for the governance of the Empire. This allowed John to reach further, and he contributed to the imperial coronation along with helping with

2175-515: The Estates and a government division between the king and the nobles. Foreign politics, rather than Czech, appealed to John, as he was gifted at it. With the help of his father, Henry, John was able to pressure the Habsburgs into reaching an agreement over Moravia . He was also able to pressure the House of Wettin , princes of Saxony , to give over the territory lying to the northern border of

2250-533: The Fair, King of Germany , culminating in the 1322 Battle of Mühldorf in which, in return, he thus received the Czech region of Egerland as a reward. Like his predecessor Henry, he was disliked by much of the Czech nobility. John was considered an "alien king" and gave up the administration of Bohemia after a while and embarked on a life of travel. He parted ways with his wife and left the Czech country to be ruled by

2325-565: The Great of Poland paid a significant amount of money in exchange for John's giving up his claim to the Polish throne. John's first steps as king were re-establishing authority and securing peace within the country. In 1311, he reached an agreement with the Bohemian and Moravian aristocracy, referred to as the "inaugural diplomas", with which John restricted the relations of both the ruler and aristocracy. The aristocracy was, however, allowed to hold

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2400-543: The Great Interregnum established an official set of prince-electors as the legal entities that could elect an emperor, and the college of prince-electors as the only source of legitimacy of the German king. Charles' actions in his reign also saw a modest revival of imperial interest in Italy and shifted the center of German politics from central and southern Germany towards the east at Bohemia, and later Austria. At

2475-650: The Hohenstaufen Emperor in 1185 and returned to his much diminished lands around Brunswick without recovering his two duchies. Bavaria had been given to Otto I, Duke of Bavaria , and the Duchy of Saxony was divided between the Archbishop of Cologne, the House of Ascania and others. Diminished lands did not prevent him from imprisoning Richard I on his return from the Third Crusade , and demanding

2550-604: The Hohenstaufen dynasty, tried to get along with him, but when Henry refused to assist him once more in an Italian war campaign, conflict became inevitable. Dispossessed of his duchies after the Battle of Legnano in 1176 by Emperor Frederick I and the other princes of the German Empire eager to claim parts of his vast territories, he was exiled to the court of his father-in-law Henry II in Normandy in 1180. He returned to Germany three years later. Henry made his peace with

2625-580: The Imperial crown in opposition to Louis. John lost his eyesight at age 39 or 40 from ophthalmia in 1336, while crusading in Lithuania. A treatment by the famous physician Guy de Chauliac had no positive effects. At the outbreak of the Hundred Years' War in 1337, he allied with King Philip VI of France and was even appointed governor of Languedoc from 30 November 1338 to November 1340. At

2700-421: The Interregnum, having possession of the title of emperor, holding it for several decades, passing it on to his son Sigismund and having no serious anti-king threat to his reign. This breaks the trend of the previous claimants either dying early on into their reigns, losing the title to rival families and having rival claimants violently oppose their rule. The papacy and the empire had a difficult relationship in

2775-538: The Luxembourg government took the chance to obtain possession of the bones. In a cloak and dagger operation, the remains were moved to the crypt of the Notre-Dame Cathedral, Luxembourg . The inscription on the tomb reads: " D.O.M. Hoc Sub Altari Servatur Ioannes, Rex Bohemiæ, Comes Luxemburgensis, Henrici vii Imperatoris Filius, Caroli iv Imperatoris Pater Wenceslai, Et Sigismundi Imperatorum Avus, Princeps Animo Maximus, obiit mcccxl 30 au. " John

2850-724: The Meuse-Moselle area was closely related to the imperial family of the Carolingians . The (Younger) House of Welf is the older branch of the House of Este , a dynasty whose earliest known members lived in Veneto and Lombardy in the late 9th/early 10th century, sometimes called Welf-Este. The first member was Welf I, Duke of Bavaria , also known as Welf IV. He inherited the property of the Elder House of Welf when his maternal uncle Welf III , Duke of Carinthia and Verona,

2925-615: The Prussian province of Hanover. The Welfs went into exile at Gmunden , Austria, where they built Cumberland Castle . The senior line of the dynasty had ruled the much smaller principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel , created the sovereign Duchy of Brunswick in 1814. This line became extinct in 1884. Although the Duchy should have been inherited by the Duke of Cumberland , son of the last king of Hanover, Prussian suspicions of his loyalty led

3000-772: The barons while spending time in Luxembourg and the French court. John's travels took him to Silesia , Poland , Lithuania , Tyrol , Northern Italy and Papal Avignon . A rival of King Władysław I the Elbow-high to the Polish crown, John supported the Teutonic Knights in the Polish–Teutonic War from 1326 to 1332 . He also made several Silesian dukes swear an oath of allegiance to him. In 1335 in Congress of Visegrád , Władysław's successor King Casimir III

3075-511: The battle against the English at Crécy was lost and he better should flee to save his own life, John the Blind replied: " Absit, ut rex Boemie fugeret, sed illuc me ducite, ubi maior strepitus certaminis vigeret, Dominus sit nobiscum, nil timeamus, tantum filium meum diligenter custodite. ("Far be it that the King of Bohemia should run away. Instead, take me to the place where the noise of the battle

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3150-485: The conclusion of the Italian territorial wars. In 1313, Henry died suddenly, ending this collaboration between him and John. However, through Henry's death, a spot for the imperial crown opened up, making John a possible candidate, the other two candidates being Fredrick of Habsburg and Louis of Bavaria . In attempts not to support Fredrick, John voted for Louis at the diet of electors. In return for his support, Louis, as

3225-470: The conflict grew to the point that John's son Charles was elected as anti-king in opposition of Louis in 1346. The next year in 1347 Louis would die of a stroke and Charles would be elected emperor in the same year. Charles would work fast to deal with both the Habsburgs and Wittelsbachs, offering Brandenburg to the Wittelsbachs to bring them to his side and working with the other princes to formulate

3300-642: The confusion of the French Revolution , the mortal remains were salvaged by the Boch industrialist family (founders of Villeroy & Boch , ennobled in 1892) and hidden in an attic room in Mettlach on the Saar River . The legend is that the abbey monks asked Pierre-Joseph Boch for this favour. His son Jean-François Boch met with the future King Frederick William IV of Prussia on his voyage through

3375-468: The dispute. The two fought with one another from 1313 to 1322, when Frederick was captured and in 1325 Louis attempted to mend the issues between the two by proclaiming Frederick as his co-king and granting the Habsburgs lands in Austria. Later in his reign, Louis would come into conflict with his former support John of Bohemia over the inheritance of Brandenburg, with France and the Pope joining in later and

3450-768: The duchy's throne to remain vacant until 1913, when the Duke of Cumberland's son, Ernst August , married the daughter of Kaiser Wilhelm II and was allowed to inherit it. His rule there was short-lived, as the monarchy came to an end following the First World War in 1918. The Welf dynasty continues to exist. The last member sitting on a European throne was Frederica of Hanover , Queen of Greece († 1981), mother of Queen Sofia of Spain and King Constantine II of Greece . Frederica's brother Prince George William of Hanover married Princess Sophie of Greece and Denmark , sister of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh . The House's head

3525-550: The electors than Rudolf, primarily because the electors desired a weaker ruler that they could control more easily. Adolf granted concessions to the princes but otherwise continued Rudolf's policies of revindication to expand royal lands. Adolf utilized funds from England meant to finance a war with France to instead gain control of Thuringia, which was desired by the electors and other princes due to inheritance disputes. This proved to be his undoing as several princes and electors worked together to challenge Adolf and decide to depose him,

3600-469: The end of the Napoleonic Wars more than a century later, through the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire and the rise of a new successor kingdom. The British royal family became known as the House of Hanover . The "Electorate of Hanover" (the core duchy) was enlarged with the addition of other lands and became the Kingdom of Hanover in 1814 at the Congress of Vienna . During the first half of

3675-421: The estates, which was to supervise the treaty. However, 1373–1388 would be the only period in which a Brunswick-Luneburg land was not ruled by a Welf: In the wake of his death, Elector Wenceslas appointed Bernard, his brother-in-law, as co-regent involved him in the government. But his younger brother Henry did not agree with this ruling, and after vain attempts to reach an agreement, the fight flared up again in

3750-690: The houses on the Old Town Square, and with the help of his advisors, he stabilized affairs in the Czech state. He thereby became one of the seven prince-electors of the Holy Roman Empire and – in succession of his brother-in-law Wenceslaus III of Bohemia – claimant to the Polish and Hungarian throne. His attempts to follow his father as King of the Romans failed with the election of Louis IV of Bavaria in 1314. Nevertheless, John later would support Louis IV in his rivalry with Frederick

3825-438: The larger dynasty's lands into smaller territories, leaving Ottokar II of Bohemia and Rudolf of Habsburg as the main candidates. Ottokar's ambitions for expanding his territory into Babenberger lands alarmed the princes and they elected Rudolf instead, viewing him as less-threatening and more friendly to their interests. Rudolf started his reign by reclaiming Hohenstaufen land that had been pawned off for money or lost during

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3900-410: The last male Welf of the Elder House, died in 1055. Welf IV was the son of Welf III's sister Kunigunde of Altdorf and her husband Albert Azzo II, Margrave of Milan . In 1070, Welf IV became Duke of Bavaria . Welf II, Duke of Bavaria married Countess Matilda of Tuscany , who died childless and left him her possessions, including Tuscany , Ferrara , Modena , Mantua , and Reggio , which played

3975-464: The leading Holy Roman Emperors. John was the eldest son of Henry VII, Holy Roman Emperor and Margaret of Brabant , who was the daughter of John I, Duke of Brabant and Margaret of Flanders . Born in Luxembourg and raised in Paris , John was French by education but deeply involved in the politics of Germany . In 1310, his father arranged the marriage of 14-year-old John to Elizabeth of Bohemia . The wedding took place in Speyer, after which

4050-485: The new emperor, promised the support in territorial claims of the Czech state in Silesia and Meissen as well as the region of Cheb and the Upper Palatinate . Later, in 1319, after the Brandenburg House of Ascania died out, John regained control over the Bautzen region and then the Görlitz region in 1329. In 1322/23, King John became unsettled by Louis's growing power and allied with France and Austria against him. The dispute would escalate with his son Charles claiming

4125-413: The newlyweds made their way to Prague accompanied by a group led by the experienced diplomat and expert on Czech issues, Peter of Aspelt , Archbishop of Mainz. Because the emperor had imperial Czech regiments accompany and protect the couple from Nuremberg to Prague, John was thus forced to invade Bohemia on behalf of his wife Elizabeth. The Czech forces were able to gain control of Prague and depose

4200-416: The nineteenth century, the Kingdom was ruled as personal union by the British crown from its creation under George III of the United Kingdom, the last elector of Hanover until the death of William IV in 1837. At that point, the crown of Hanover went to William's younger brother, Ernest Augustus, Duke of Cumberland and Teviotdale under the Salic law requiring the next male heir to inherit, whereas

4275-404: The order of the battle, he said to them about him: 'Where is the lord Charles my son?' His men said: 'Sir, we cannot tell; we think he be fighting.' Then he said: 'Sirs, ye are my men, my companions and friends in this journey: I require you bring me so far forward, that I may strike one stroke with my sword.' They said they would do his commandment, and to the intent that they should not lose him in

4350-537: The original possessions of the Elder House of Welf , to his nephew Emperor Frederick I , and thus to the House of Hohenstaufen. The next duke of the Welf dynasty Henry the Lion (1129/1131–1195) recovered his father's two duchies, Saxony in 1142, Bavaria in 1156 and thus ruled vast parts of Germany. In 1168 he married Matilda (1156–1189), the daughter of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine , and sister of Richard I of England , gaining ever more influence. His first cousin, Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor of

4425-577: The period, going back to the 1000’s with the Investiture Crisis . More recently, prior to his death, Frederick received an official deposition notice from Innocent IV at the Council of Lyons. In theory, Innocent IV had the exclusive power to legitimize and de-legitimize the emperor, but in practice this power was only as powerful as those who believed in it. Innocent deposed Frederick, releasing his vassals from their obligations and excommunicating both Frederick and his supporters, but Frederick retained his emperorship and most of his supporters. He responded with

4500-399: The press, they tied all their reins of their bridles each to other and set the king before to accomplish his desire, and so they went on their enemies. The lord Charles of Bohemia his son, who wrote himself king of Almaine and bare the arms, he came in good order to the battle; but when he saw that the matter went awry on their party, he departed, I cannot tell you which way. The king his father

4575-624: The previous two decades in a policy called revindication, and during the course of his reign he managed to recover a majority of Hohenstaufen lands and estates. This policy met some resistance in 1274 when a Diet held in Nuremberg decreed that the Count Palatine of the Rhine would be the judge in such cases, diluting some of Rudolf’s power. Rudolf continued the course of Richard, maintaining the Hohenstaufen feudal relationships and expanding on policies started by Richard, notably by overhauling judicial oversight of royal lands to be held by loyal knights and retainers to increase revenues from these lands. Rudolf

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4650-409: The principality became the Duchy of Brunswick , ruled by the senior branch of the House of Welf. In 1432 the estates gained by the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel between the Deister and Leine split away as the Principality of Calenberg . In 1495 it was expanded around Göttingen and in 1584 went back to the Wolfenbüttel Line. In 1634, as a result of inheritance distributions, it went to

4725-410: The reigning king, Henry of Gorizia, King of Bohemia , on 3 December 1310. The deposed King Henry fled with his wife Anne of Bohemia (the sister of John's wife) to his duchy (the Duchy of Carinthia ). The coronation of John and Elizabeth to the Bohemian throne took place on 7 February 1311, making them King and Queen of Bohemia. The castle at Prague was uninhabitable, so John made residence in one of

4800-443: The right to elect the king, to decide the matter of extraordinary taxation, the right to their property, and the right to choose freely whether or not to offer military support to the king in foreign wars. However, the aristocracy was encouraged to raise armies when peace within the country was threatened. On the other hand, the king's right to appoint a foreign official to office was abolished. John structured these agreements to provide

4875-572: The same position as Adolf of Nassau, having to concede several powers to the princes in order to be elected. But Henry gained considerable prestige by traveling to Rome and being personally crowned by the Pope. This combined with his public renunciation of Thuringian claims got him support from the princes to enfeoff Bohemia to his son John , securing a royal title for his family. Henry died unexpectedly of disease in 1313, leading to another double election, this time between Frederick of Habsburg and Louis of Wittelsbach . The Luxembourgs and Habsburgs held

4950-424: The same time, it set back the progress of centralization achieved under previous dynasties and rulers and severely weakened the authority of the emperor and the king. The lack of central government strengthened the communal movements , such as the Swabian League of Cities , the Hanseatic League and the Swiss Confederacy . It also encouraged increased feuding among the lesser nobility, leading to conflicts such as

5025-415: The spring of 1388. Elector Wenceslas had to assemble an army without the help of Bernard, supported by the town of Lüneburg. From Winsen an der Aller , he wanted to attack Celle , which was held by Henry and his mother. During the preparations Elector Wenceslas fell seriously ill and died shortly thereafter. According to legend, he was poisoned. Lüneburg continued the preparations, formed an alliance with

5100-438: The style of the subordinate principality. By 1705, the subordinate principalities had taken their final form as the Electorate of Hanover and the Principality of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel , and these would become the Kingdom of Hanover and the Duchy of Brunswick after the Congress of Vienna in 1815. In 1269 the Principality of Brunswick was formed following the first division of the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg. In 1432, as

5175-485: The treaty of 1374 was abolished, and the Principality was secured for the Welfs. [REDACTED] Some direct ancestors (fathers and sons) of the present generation are: John of Bohemia John the Blind or John of Luxembourg ( Luxembourgish : Jang de Blannen ; German: Johann der Blinde ; Czech : Jan Lucemburský ; 10 August 1296 – 26 August 1346), was the Count of Luxembourg from 1313 and King of Bohemia from 1310 and titular King of Poland . He

5250-409: Was annexed to the Holy Roman Empire . Beatrice of Swabia 1212 no children Maria of Brabant 19 May 1214 Maastricht no children After their death, rule of the Principality was to revert to the Ascanians. In order to underpin the agreement, in 1374 Albert of Saxe-Lüneburg married Catharina, the widow of Magnus II. The treaty also envisaged the creation of a statutory body representing

5325-419: Was frustrated in his attempts to gain control of Babenberger lands in modern-day Austria as his base of support rested on appearing as non-threatening to the other princes. After his death in 1291, Adolf of Nassau was chosen over Rudolf's son Albert due to Albert's attitude towards the electors and the potential threat he might be to them. Adolf of Nassau had more difficulties in securing his authority with

5400-498: Was generally named after the ruler's residence, e.g., the rulers of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel originally lived in Wolfenbüttel. Whenever a branch of the family died out in the male line, the territory was given to another line, as the duchy remained enfeoffed to the family as a whole rather than its individual members. All members of the House of Welf, male or female, bore the title Duke/Duchess of Brunswick-Lüneburg in addition to

5475-441: Was murdered by his nephew Johann in 1308 before either could be fully brought under control. After Albert's murder, the title of King and Emperor was passed onto Henry of Luxembourg , crowned Henry VII in 1308. Henry was chosen due to fears of Habsburg dominance over the other princes with the attempted consolidation of Bohemia and Thuringia. The Luxembourgs were an up and coming family in German politics and Henry found himself in

5550-465: Was so far forward that he strake a stroke with his sword, yea and more than four, and fought valiantly and so did his company; and they adventured themselves so forward, that they were there all slain, and the next day they were found in the place about the king, and all their horses tied each to other. According to the Cronica ecclesiae Pragensis Benesii Krabice de Weitmile , when told by his aides that

5625-562: Was the only Welf to become Holy Roman Emperor. Henry the Lion's grandson Otto the Child became duke of a part of Saxony in 1235, the new Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg , and died there in 1252. The duchy was divided several times during the High Middle Ages amongst various lines of the House of Welf. The subordinate states had the legal status of principalities within the duchy, which remained as an undivided imperial fief . Each state

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